Rybakina, one step away from achieving her great dream: "I want to keep going at my best"

Elena Rybakina does not want to stop her winning streak, and after winning the title at the WTA 500 Ningbo 2026, she will head to Tokyo to complete an Asian tour where she can establish herself as the best player of the year, without having to wait for the WTA Finals to secure that spot over Aryna Sabalenka.

Her apparent coldness should not overshadow the fact that Elena Rybakina is a natural competitor and is ready to make the most of the peak phase of her career that she is currently experiencing. Her season is stellar, and far from relaxing and resting ahead of the WTA Finals, she has rolled up her sleeves for an Asian tour that she will complete this week with the WTA 500 Tokyo 2026, just hours after being crowned champion in Ningbo.

One of the major incentives that may have driven Rybakina to this marathon of matches concentrated in two weeks is traveling to Indian Wells in a few days for the WTA Finals 2026 with one of her great professional dreams achieved: finishing the year as world number 1.

Elena Rybakina can secure the number 1 spot by the end of the year in Tokyo

She only needs to win two matches in Tokyo to achieve this. She will begin her campaign in the Japanese capital against the winner of the match between Putintseva and Sakkari. If she wins, she would have the opportunity to fight for a semifinal spot against Mertens or Leylah Fernández. That duel could mathematically grant her the number 1 spot at the end of the season, as she would surpass Sabalenka by more than 1,500 points, which is the amount at stake in the WTA Finals.

Even if she does not accomplish this in Tokyo, it would be unrealistic for Sabalenka to think she can achieve a turnaround in the Masters tournament, as it does not seem likely that Rybakina will lose all her matches there and that the Belarusian will come out as an undefeated champion. In any case, it is symptomatic and commendable to see how the Kazakh fights in these last tournaments of the year.

"I am very happy. I think it's the first time I have been able to defend a title, so it's a great achievement. Without a doubt, Ningbo is already a special place for me. Last year, I started playing really well from this tournament and maintained that level for the rest of the season. I hope this victory gives me an extra motivation and good energy to keep competing in what is left of the year and to start the next season in the best possible way."

Rybakina points to the reasons behind her success in finals

"I remember that I used to get very frustrated every time I lost a final. Now things are going in my favor. Of course, I can’t expect it to always be like that, because a final is a final and you have a rival in front of you who wants to win just as much as you do."

"I think experience is also starting to show in these important moments, especially when the crucial points of a match arrive. I hope to be able to continue on this path until the end of my career. For now, things are working out and I am very happy that the finals are going my way."

Elena Rybakina is pushing her limits this season and establishing herself as a tennis player destined to make history and seriously challenge the supposed reign of Aryna Sabalenka. Achieving the number 1 spot by the end of the year could be irrefutable proof of this and elevate the Kazakh to a higher status as a player in the history of this sport.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rybakina, a un paso de lograr su gran sueño: "Quiero seguir al máximo"